One type of treatment for patients that have impaired renal function, or kidney failure, is known as dialysis. Either hemodialysis (blood dialysis) or peritoneal dialysis methods may be employed. Both methods essentially involve the removal of toxins from body fluids and restoration of such body fluids by diffusion and/or convection by means of a dialysis solution.
In peritoneal dialysis, a dialysis solution in liquid form is administered directly into the patient's peritoneal cavity. Conventionally, for preventing insoluble precipitates to form from components of the dialysis solution, the dialysis solution is prepared from a first liquid solution and a second liquid solution that are kept separate and mixed just prior the administration to a patient.
The liquid solutions that form the dialysis solution when mixed are often kept separate in a flexible container made of plastic films. The container must keep the solutions sterile since the dialysis solution is infused directly into the peritoneal cavity of a patient. Also, the containers must withstand conventional handling during transportation and storage, while still allowing efficient mixing of the liquid solutions.
Some designs of flexible containers have been accomplished, as reflected by patent documents US2005221034A1, U.S. Pat. No. 7,678,097B1 and WO9425252A1. These documents disclose containers where liquid contents (solutions) are stored in separate chambers. Before administration a seal that separates the chambers is broken, which allows the liquid solutions to mix and form a dialysis solution in the respective container.
The disclosed containers separate two liquid contents from each other but do not seem optimal in respect of their handling, in particular in respect of allowing the contents to be efficiently mixed with a reasonable effort.